In the industry involving high speed automated handling of printed circuit board substrates, the boards typically are moved from station to station for step-wise performance of functions such as mounting components on opposite sides of the board, testing the components, wave soldering, reflow soldering, and the like. Sometimes, it is required to flip the substrate so as to operate on the top surface thereof at one station and on the bottom surface thereof at the next station.
Heretofore, a device has been provided for receiving and flipping printed circuit boards and, alternatively, transporting the boards through the device without flipping them. During such flipping, the board retaining mechanism of this device passes below a feed plane, generally defined as the plane of the board prior to flipping, so as to require greater undercarriage clearance and thus limit the length of the board according to that clearance. Further, the prior art device requires recycling thereof after flipping a board in order to position the same end of the flipping mechanism for receiving the next board to be handled.
Thus, it is an objective of the invention to flip or not flip a printed circuit board, selectively and under command of a programmable computer or other form of controller, so as to present the appropriate surface of the board for work at a work station, while keeping the board substantially on one side of the feed plane during such flipping.
Additionally, it is an objective of the invention to provide for flipping boards which are lesser or greater in length than the edge restraining channels of the device, without interference with any undercarriage of the device.
Further, it is an objective of the invention to provide for easy adjustment of spacing between the board restraining channels so as to accommodate boards of different widths.
Still further, it is an objective of the invention to provide that the device does not require recycling in order to receive the next substrate to be handled.
Moreover, it is an objective of the invention to provide that the substrates may enter either end and exit either end of the device, as desired, with revision of a few parts in assembly of the device.